What is a Bobsled Roller Coaster?

What is a Bobsled Roller Coaster?Bobsled roller coasters feature trackless chutes that are essentially a pipe with the top half removed. The half pipes do not have fixed tracks so the bobsleigh-like cars move freely on the tracks as if they were sliding on ice like in a real bobsled course. Today, most bobsled coasters are made of steel, but originally they were made of wood and known as Flying Turns. Knoebels in Elysburg, PA is working on a coaster by the same name that is set to open this year. More on Knoebels’ Flying Turns.

Bobsled coasters are pretty rare these days. Currently there are only 9 in operation around the world. When Flying Turns opens it will be the 10th. Here’s a list of operating bobsled coasters. They’re fun, fairly tame, family-style coasters that can still offer some surprising g-forces throughout their twisted layouts.

Avalanche at Kings Dominion was one of my first roller coasters. It was one of the few coasters I was brave enough to tackle when I was younger. It’s a 7 out of 10 (Good) and perfect for a kid and parent or a couple as two riders climb into one bobsled car. I’ve also ridden Disaster Transport at Cedar Point. It’s enclosed in a badly-themed (80’s version of the ‘future’) building. Disaster Transport has individual cars instead of trains. Other bobsled coasters in the U.S. are Alpine Bobsled at Great Escape (Lake George, NY) and La Vibora at Six Flags Over Texas (Dallas, TX).

Check out this video of Avalanche at Kings Dominion:

Don’t know the difference between an inverted and a suspended coaster? Check out more of my Coasterology 101 posts. What do you think of bobsled coasters? Leave a comment below.